Has the Shabag spring failed?

| by Swadesh Roy

( August 6, 2013, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) After the victory of the Islamic fundamentalist in five-city

Corporations, it is a million dollar question in the people of Bangladesh, has the Shabag spring failed? Some people are raising questions in a crude form that, “It was not a spring.” There argument is that, if it was a spring of youth, why the people are not with them now. Some of the opportunist and corrupt politicians are saying now, they are the cause of the come out of fundamentalist in the country. In every society, some normal people become depressed very fast. It is one of the natures of human society. So, after the spring of Shabag the rising of fundamentalist in this heavy way any frustration can come in any corner of the society. It is also natural. But that does not mean that, whole society is suffering in this frustration. On the other hand, the corrupt and opportunist politicians can say anything. It is not an indicator of a society or a spring of youth. In fact, first, we have to illustrate the character of the spring of Shabag; who were the catalyst of it. As an illustration, we can say that, the people who gathered in Shabag most of them were young, educated and enlightened. They all are patriot. They gathered there not to influence by any one, it was happened by the demand of their heart. Thousand hundreds people came there but they never vandalized anything, they were very nonviolent. Firstly, they gathered there for a demand of a capital punishment of a notorious war criminal but at a stage their demand were expanded. It was not any opportunist incident; it was just like a bud, which became flower. At first, they gathered demanding the capital punishment of a notorious war criminal but after a while, they raised their voice that country and the politics of the country should run through the spirit of freedom struggle.

Moreover, it was obvious, because why the trial of the war criminal, is it for any political purpose or only for giving punishment some criminals? It is not any political trial or any normal criminal trial. The trial of

the war criminal has a historical necessity for running forward the country. It has an effect in the society and the politics is that, the society and politics can come out from a dark episode. After coming out from the dark period country should need to run in the spirit of our freedom. So it was natural that, those who gathered for capital punishment their ultimate demand will be that country and its politics must be run through the will of freedom. Therefore, it did not mean that they extended their demand. Even if we explain their six-point demand, we will see that it is nothing but the fundamental cause of

our freedom struggle.

However, now it is true that, the youth who were in the Shabag and

other place of the country are not in the street rather those

forces called them atheist are in the street and they played a

vital role in last five-city corporation election. Not only is it

showing that they will be a key player in next election but also they

will be the future policymaking of the country. On the other hand, the

youth of the Shabag spring are now in the back seat in the country.

That is why it may seem that the Shabag spring has failed.

It is one side of the coin and there is another side also. Those

people who are telling, spring of Shabag is the cause of the rise of

fundamentalist, is partially right but it needs to elaborate the

thing. Firstly, there is no scope that to think that after the spring

of Shabag, the fundamentalists have created in the society. Rather we

can see the matter through the eyes of our folk teller. We have seen

that in our folk tells all the demon came out from the sea and

mountain when the brave prince found the actual weapon, which would be

the cause of the death of the demon. The spring of Shabag is as like

as the work of the brave prince of our folk story. The spring of

Shabag has found out the main weapon of the cause of the demon of this

country. The fundamentalist of this country is the main problem of our

country. They try to prevent our freedom but they failed but after the

liberation, they became successful to kill our national heroes to

collaboration with some notorious army officers. From then they are

making strength in our society with the help of some countries who were

against our freedom struggle. In 1975 after the killing of our

national heroes, they have started to strengthen their foot in the

every place of the society and the politics and all the government

from 1975 to 1990 helped them. We achieved a limited democracy in

1990; I want to describe it as a limited democracy because people got

only the right to change a government by the election but not got the

right to establish the spirit of freedom in every place of the state.

We have to admit that until we cannot establish the will of our

freedom in the every position of the state and the society, the

democracy will not be fulfilled. So we have seen that after 1990 we are

changing our government by the election but all governments and the

oppositions are helping for breading fundamentalism.

After 1975, for the first time Shabag spring had hit the

fundamentalism of Bangladesh, they have told it boldly that

fundamentalist are the main problem of our democracy, development and

the progress of the society. The youth of the Shabag are that brave

princes who find out the main weapon for killing country’s demon. So,

for their existing the fundamentalists have come out to fight with the

youth. A group of our nasty politician has joined with them and

another coward group of politician has got afraid from them. So that

evil forces are now dominating the country but it does not mean that

the spring of Shabag has failed. Rather, the success of the Shabag is

that, they have succeeded to bring out those dark forces in the light.

In addition, in the mean time more people have came to know what kind

of forces they are and what is the goal of them. One of their leaders named

Shafi made some comments regarding women is enough to understand that

what is the ultimate goal of them and what kind of forces they are.

Now people are in dilemma but with in very short people will

think that how much nasty are those politicians who are with them

simultaneously; people will understand how much coward are those

politician who got afraid from them. On the other hand, it is true and

again true in the world if you light a candle it must give light. So,

Shabag has lit the candle for light, light is always out the dark.

Sometimes some cloud becomes successful to give a shade upon the light

but it is not forever. We have seen that after the spring of Tharir

Square of Egypt a dark forces had come to power but within one year,

the flower of the spring in Egypt has blossomed. So it is obvious that

the flower of the Shabag will blossom again. Spring of Shabag is the

light of the heart of Bangladesh so it can never be destroyed. Our nasty

politicians, timid politicians may think now we need an election

because we get support from that dirty forces but country needs to wipe out

those dirty force first.

Swadesh Roy, Executive Editor, the Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bangladesh

he can be reached swadeshroy@gmail.com